Understanding circuits

[Resistanceisfutile]

So I see a lot of circuit schematics online, and I usually have very little understanding of how they work - if you didn't tell me what they did I'd only be able to guess if it had an obvious component (like a microphone, a motor or an LED). How did you get to the stage where you could understand what you were looking at without needing to be told (e.g. from the complex components and the circuit layout)? Is there some big list of component roles e.g. high/low pass filter, tuned circuit, biasing resistors, etc?

 

[Ogu Reginald]

The key to understanding what a circuit does without being told is knowing the components.
Read notes on the various electronic components to know how they work.
And the more you work on circuits the note familiar you are with ICs. Whenever you see an IC that you are not familiar with, just search for its datasheet online.

 

[Audioguru]

Many of us learned about electronics in high school, magazines and university.
Where did you learn about electronics?

 

[betwixt]

... and remember that there are only a few types of circuit but many variations of them. Analog circuits are basically amplifiers, rectifiers and oscillators. With practice you recognize which they are from the components they use and to some extent their values. Digital circuits can be more difficult to understand but usually there are clues such as displays and input connectors that make the 'flow' of the circuit more obvious.

Brian.